By Alesha Capone
A LAVERTON North business has been issued with five WorkSafe notices, following the death of an employee who died after being exposed to toxic chemicals recently.
The 54-year-old man was working on a pipe containing phenol, at the Nufarm Chemical Plant on 19 May, when it exploded.
Ambulance Victoria said the man’s fellow employees rushed him to the shower and tried washing the deadly substance off him, but he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.
Four staff members who attempted to revive the man were treated at the scene and another male who suffered a chemical burn to his arm was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Last week, WorkSafe visited the Pipe Rd plant and announced the “company is required to comply with the improvement notices within a specific time frame”.
The five notices issued require the company to have a ‘Permit to Work’ which ensures risks connected to tasks are “identified and controlled” and employees have adequate training.
Nufarm will also have to put in place measures to control the danger of workers falling more than two metres, assess the risks involved with storing and handling phenol and ensure the risk of skin exposure when handling dangerous goods is eliminated or reduced as much as possible.
The WorkSafe investigation into the incident is continuing.
